"Love does not appear with any warning signs. You fall into it as if pushed from a high diving board. No time to think about what's happening. It's inevitable. An event you can't control. A crazy, heart-stopping, roller-coaster ride that just has to take its course." - Jackie Collins

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Caden's POV

Silas looks good.

Too good.

I arrived an hour early before the event is supposed to start to check in on the caterers and DJs, make sure the florist came in time to scatter the flowers all around the tables and that the waiters are ready to pass hors-d'oeuvres and drinks.

After speaking with the head caterer, I made my way to the ballroom, finally noticing Silas and his brothers.

And god, if he doesn't look freaking handsome.

I swear, it's just not fair for someone to look that good whilst acting like a complete jerk.

Surprisingly, his gaze drops down to my dress; his eyes sparkle with intensity and... longing?

No, that can't be right.

I make my way to him, planning on asking him if everything is up to his liking. But in a flash, he notices where I'm headed and quickly directs himself to a table, suddenly finding the azaleas and roses much more compelling than having a conversation with me.

God, am I that revulsive?

What in the world did I do when I was drunk to have him be so repelled by me.

I wonder if I smell bad?

Stupid, he can't smell you from ten feet away.

Oh, you're right.

You know what, whatever. I'm tired of trying to make him like me. If he spots some sort of error during the event, he can fix it himself.

With that thought, I turn towards Sage and Sawyer. "Is everything to your liking, Mr. Sanders?"

"Yes, everything is great." Sawyer gives me a wide smile which I return. "You did great."

At least my work didn't go unnoticed.

Sage sidesteps Sawyer and moves to where his older brother is standing, and I quickly trot to the DJ, giving him the playlist that Sawyer had given me last week.

Everything is going smoothly.

Let's hope it stays that way.

+++

It's a few hours in, and everyone is having a great time. Leia, Izzie, and Marcus arrived an hour later and are enjoying their dancing while I consistently check in on the staff and DJ to make sure that everything is as it should be.

I've hardly been off my feet, either helping the caterers refill the champagne glasses or setting up the hors-d'oeuvres onto plates.

Appetizers quickly came, however, and I was finally able to rest my feet. Sitting in one of the back table along with the other employees, we watch as Sawyer gives his speech.

The CEO of the National Breast Cancer Foundation, Sarah Hosking, also stands to speak while the guests enjoy some French cousin.

Mr. Sanders has a thing for French food.

I'm actually having a really good time.

I notice Silas and Sage in one of the front tables, all gazing up at Mrs. Hosking, smiling intently. Well, Sage is smiling; Silas has more of a grimace than a grin.

The main course soon comes and a symphony of 'mms' and "oohs' ring across the ballroom.

Yeah, I knew I chose the right foods for today.

See, I'm pretty great. If only some people could show more appreciation.

After everyone is done eating, the DJ begins to play some more music, again, referencing the playlist I gave him.

They are all upbeat songs for now, so everyone begins to get on their feet and dance. With the lights dimmed and the chandeliers quickly being replaced by a disco ball, everything is looking spectacular.

Marcus, Leia, and Izzie are dancing their butts off and I can quickly tell that Marcus is slightly thirdwheeling between the obvious sparks of attraction between Leia and Izzie.

I knew it.

I mean, anyone would've if you ever see them together. Leia always insists on sitting next to Izzie, not to mention the fact that they go everywhere together, including the bathrooms.

That may seem like normal girl stuff, but between them, it's way more. The other day when we went out to buy our dresses, I was waiting for almost an hour while those two were cooped up in the dressing rooms.

When I finally peeked inside the hall to see what was taking so long, I found them both leaving the same stall and coming towards the exit. Their lips were swollen, cheeks were blushed a light shade of pink, and hair was slightly more messy than when they came in.

Quickly ducking my head, I bolt back to the racks of clothes, acting as natural as possible as they showed me their dresses.

Needless to say, I'm happy for them.

Definitely made sure not to tell them what I witnessed mainly for privacy reasons, and the fact that they had never come out to me yet. Not that they need to.

If it's not my business, I'll keep it that way. Simple.

I feel a poke at my waist and I jerk to the side.

Turning around, I an pleasantly surprised to see Ryland. He grins at me with that big, all teeth, type of smile that you'd find in a Colgate commercial, and my heart does a leap at the sight.

"Hi," I breath out.

"What's up?" he asks smoothly, looking around the crowd of people on the dance floor.

"Nothing much," I shrug. "Do you like the party?"

He shrugs his shoulders. "Eh, it's alright."

My mood falls at that.

Alright? It's alright??

I busted my butt the past month to make this event perfect and all it gets is an alright?!

To my side, I hear him chuckle, and I am stopped short from the names I immediately think of to shove them into his face.

"I'm just messing with you, Caden." He grins again. "It's fantastic. You did really great."

My smile is back again.

Dang, I was about to go all Hulk Mode on him.

Working at Sanders Corp is really changing me, and I don't know if that's a good or bad thing.

"Care to dance?" he asks, holding out his hand for me to take.

And as much as my heart pleads for me to say yes, I know that I need to keep track of everything. I don't want this whole thing to be ruined because I didn't do my job.

So with a sympathetic yet longing smile, I reply, "I would love to, but I can't. I have to make sure everything is going to stay 'fantastic.'"

He smile falters for a bit before I add, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright." He shrugs off the rejection. "I'll be able to pry you off your work later tonight." He leaves with a wink, making me feel both confused and curious.

Looking round the crowd, I spot the familiar figure of Silas talking with a few philanthropists. He has a stern but amused look that doesn't make him seem as off-putting as usual.

His brothers are both dancing, one man around Sawyer while a tall blond claims Sage.

+++

Now, it is the time that everyone's been waiting for.

And probably something a certain someone's been dreading for the past month.

The auction.

Men line at the top of the staircase while the auctioneer, Mrs. Hosking, begins to read through the description cards of each candidate.

The auction soon begins, and cuing the lights, the room dims and a spotlight is placed on Sarah.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," she greets smoothly. "We will now begin the auction."

Numbers have been passed out to all the guests, including myself but I doubt I'm going to bid on anything.

"Our first candidate is hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. You may know him on the field as the Eagles Quarterback, Jalen Hurts!!" Hurts soon walks out of the sidelines, plastering on a million-dollar smile and walking down the stairs.

Already, I can see women AND men's eyes light up and the bidding has officially begun.

"Can I get $1,000?" Sarah suggests and ten numbers shoot up.

"Going to #12! Going once..."

"$5,000!" a woman's voice shouts out. "$5,000 from #54! Can we go higher?!" Sarah eggs on.

"$6,000!"

"$7,000!"

"$10,000!"

By now, two women are competing for a dance with the quarterback, and heads continue to alternate from side to side to see which woman will concede.

"$15,000!" The woman on the left shouts out, and the other woman doesn't counter back. "Going once... Going twice... SOLD to #55! You may come claim your prize!"

The woman happily links arms with Hurts and they both walk out of the spotlight and into the crowd.

Jesus, $15,000 for a dance?

And this is just the first candidate.

An hour goes by and we're nearly done with the auction. The only remaining are... surprise, surprise, the Sanders brothers.

Let's just say, the room is buzzing with anticipation from both genders.

"Okay, now this young man may be the youngest of the trio, but just as good-looking and successful. You all already know him, I presume, let's bring out Sage Sanders!!"

Sage confidently walks to the top of the stairs, and makes his descent, all while looking cool and collected.

Before Sarah can say another one, one woman shouts out, "$20,000!"

"Ooh, looks like we're already getting started." The crowd laughs and I join them.

The number just keeps going higher and higher and soon enough, the bid has gone up to $55,000.

"Going once... Going twice... SOLD to #34!"

A girl in a short, pink cocktail dress joins Sage at the base of the stairs and I can tell he's happy with his buyer.

"Next up, we have the middle child of the trio, but he is far from ignored. The ladies are missing out with this one, let's bring out Sawyer Sanders!!"

Sawyer struts out of the wings wearing a light pink suit that totally makes the males in the crowd smile with desire.

"Let's start off with-"

"$20,000!" a man shouts from behind me. Sarah doesn't look the least bit offended by the interruption, instead smiling as wide as the Cheshire cat. "Okay, let's get started!"

"$25,000!"

"$40,000!"

"$67,000!"

Where did that come from? Why would someone bid on a number that's not divisible by five? Completely absurd.

"$75,000!" I see #155 has common sense.

"$84,000!" Are you for real?

#155 hesitates. C'mon man, you can't let that guy win. He's completely deluded!

"$100,000!" That's what I'm talking about!!

"$100,000 coming from the gentlemen to the left. Our highest bid yet! Going once..." No response. "Going twice..." Ha, no balls from what's-his-number.

Wait, what? Jesus, I really am changing.

"SOLD to lucky #155!"

Unintentionally, I smile for the buyer, especially when I see Sawyer's face light up when he spots him too.

I can't see much of him but his tight fit suit accentuates his biceps and back muscles.

"Now, last but certainly not least, we have the oldest and 'wisest' of the three, Silas Sanders!" Sarah announces and the center of my stomach knots. Oh Christ.

A few excited whispers scatter across the crowd and my gaze is transfixed when Silas walks out. The spotlight shines on him, making him glow ever more.

His hair is left a curly mess on the top of his head, giving him a more rugged edge, which as much as I hate to admit it, makes him look even more attractive.

He doesn't smile when he faces the crowd; mostly observes the audience, specifically, the potential buyers for his glorious dance.

I don't miss the fact that his gaze is set intently on the front and middle part of the crowd, completely avoiding the back, which is coincidentally, where I'm located.

God, I hate him.

No one speaks a word. No one needs to. Not even the auctioneer who is supposed to announce the starting price.

Numbers just fly left and right from dozens of females. All of them competing for the one-in-a-lifetime opportunity to dance with the one and only, Silas Sanders.

Yuck.

"$125,000!"

"$150,000!"

"175,000!" At least they're keeping up with the pattern of fives.

"$200,000!"

Then a voice so powerful booms from behind me, silencing everyone in the room. "$500,000!"

My jaw drops. Actually everyone's jaws drop that I'm pretty sure flies have already begun to settle themselves into our mouths.

Ew, gross visual. Sorry.

Everyone turns around to see who the unknown woman is, including myself.

The woman in question is surrounded by darkness thanks to the dimness of the room, and it's not until she steps into a more lighted area that I can finally see what she looks like.

And, good god, she's gorgeous.

She's absolutely breathtaking, not to mention, she's wearing the most beautiful pink gown that accentuates her curves and compliments her skin tone.

I cannot even fathom how someone can look this beautiful.

She has silky dark hair cascading down her toned skin, and let's not even mention those diamond blue eyes that practically radiate from the spotlight.

+++

Rebecca Aldridge played by Adriana Lima

25 years old

+++

As she links arms with Silas at the base of the staircase, I can't help the pang of... jealously? No that can't be.

Well, whatever it is, it hurts. Bad.

I look away, trying to settle my thoughts when Sarah quickly disrupts them. "This is our highest bidder since, well, ever, so thank you uh..." Sarah waits for her to say her name, which she does, while looking flawlessly to the crowd. "Rebecca. Rebecca Aldridge."

"Thank you to Rebecca Aldridge for your generous donation." Sarah smiles at her but Rebecca has now fixed her gaze to the man standing beside her.

Silas's face is unreadable.

Like seriously, this man has no emotion to his face. I can't tell if he's happy or amused, or angry even. Actually, no, I do know when he's angry. Because it's usually directed towards me.

He's too preoccupied to look at anyone but the person who spent 500 freaking thousand dollars on him! Like, jeez, at least show some acknowledgment.

"I want to thank everyone for your donations. We've raised $1,000,000 in donations, so thank you so much!" Sarah is beaming which tells me that the auction was definitely a success.

"Now, couples, please join together for your dances."

Everyone begins to file out of the dance floor, with the exception of the bidders and people who have partners.

I soon seat myself in my chair, resting my exhausted feet.

My gaze wanders to the dance floor and I can't help but notice Silas dancing with Rebecca. His arm is around her waist while the other is rested on her shoulder.

They dance to the beat of the semi-upbeat music, his lips moving slightly, telling me they're having a conversation of some sort.

You wish that was you, huh?

Shut up!

"I think the waiters ran out of champagne." I shoot up from my seat at Ryland's voice and immediately set into part planner mode. "What?"

He nods his head, and without responding, I make my way to the kitchen.

Once there, I ask the head caterer if there is a champagne shortage and she shakes her head, confused.

What the heck?

"Everything is going smoothly?"

She nods her head in confirmation and I nod gratefully before leaving.

UGH, Ryland.

"Seriously?" I say when I'm back at the table and he's sitting there with a smug look on his face.

"What was the point of that?" I ask, unamused.

He smiles again, before standing beside me and taking my hand into his. "To prove to you that you can take a five-minute break to dance."

My heart stops for a second. "May I have this dance, milady?" he smiles, that same goofy grin.

I chuckle, my mood lightening up slightly. "Fine, if you insist," I reply, letting out a dramatic sigh.

He grins again before leading me to the dancefloor.

The song changes to a much slower beat, and Ryland places his hands on my waist, while mine hang over his neck.

We sway with the music, and I relish the feeling of peacefulness as I dance.

This feels great.

"Thank you," I whisper. He smiles before nodding. "Anything for you." And again with that stupid wink.

I roll my eyes.

We stay there until the end of the song, and I let go of his neck, assuming he wants to stop dancing too. "Do you want some champagne?" I offer.

"Sure." Before I leave, he stops me. "Don't tell me you're getting a drink too." His fake worried expression makes me roll my eyes. "Shut up, I wasn't that bad."

"You were that bad."

Shaking my head, amused, I make my way to one of the servers, while gazing at the beautiful flowers adorned on the tables.

They really are gorgeous.

Azaleas are my mom's favorite flower and-

My face crashes into a large chest, and I'm pretty positive it flattened my already flat nose.

I groan in pain as I cradle my smushed nose and look up.

Oh Jesus.

Yep, you can already assume who it is.

I don't even need to say it.

However, I do think it's important to note that the man who is looking down at me does not look happy.

Actually, he doesn't even look mad.

He looks LIVID.

Pray for me.

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